Webinar | VAT Under the Lens: Legal Insights & Pitfalls Unpacked - 3 Part Series - CPD Consortium

WEBINAR
VAT Under the Lens:

Legal Insights & Pitfalls Unpacked

3 PART SERIES

PART 1

Date: 29 May 2025
Time: 10:00am – 11:00am
(SA Time)
REGISTRATION IS CLOSED

Platform: Zoom
CPD Points: 1 point
Price: R180.00
Free to Package Holders

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PART 2

Date: 18 June 2025
Time: 10:00am – 11:00am
(SA Time)
REGISTRATION IS CLOSED

Platform: Zoom
CPD Points: 1 point
Price: R180.00
Free to Package Holders

MORE INFO

PART 3

Date: 02 July 2025
Time: 10:00am – 11:00am
(SA Time)

Platform: Zoom
CPD Points: 1 point
Price: R180.00
Free to Package Holders

MORE INFO

VAT is one of the most complex and aggressively enforced areas of tax in South Africa – and SARS is sharpening its focus. This 3-part legal VAT series is designed for tax professionals, accountants, and attorneys who want a layered, legally grounded, and practice-ready understanding of South Africa’s VAT system. 

Across three sessions, we will move from legal principles and registration triggers, through high-risk technical issues, all the way to SARS interactions, audit pitfalls, and real-world VAT advisory examples. 

Designed for VAT specialists and seasoned practitioners, this technical webinar offers a deep dive into complex VAT issues, underpinned by legal principles and practical application. Stay at the forefront of developments and sharpen your expertise with actionable insights grounded in case law, legislation, and SARS practice.

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Key topics of discussion:

PART 1

Interpreting the VAT Act

Understanding the structure of the Act, core definitions (section 1), and key interpretive principles (including the role of case law and purposive interpretation).

Obligation to Register for VAT

A legal overview of the registration threshold, including for certain non-resident suppliers, and SARS’ approach to foreign entities (including digital and imported services.

Compliance Duties: VAT Returns, Invoicing
and Record-Keeping

Legal requirements under section 20, 16(2), and relevant public notices. Highlighting exposure risks in incorrect tax periods, exchange rate use, and documentation gaps.

PART 2

Input Tax Deductions and Apportionment

Detailed review of the 95% input tax rule, mixed supplies, and disallowed categories (e.g., entertainment, motor vehicles). Practical guidance on implementing fair and defensible apportionment methods.

Imported and Electronic Services

Scope and interpretation of “imported services” under section 14, VAT liability for non-residents, and common pitfalls where digital supplies are concerned, including post-amendment to the Electronic Services Regulations.

Zero-Rating: Exports

Legal requirements for zero-rating direct and indirect exports, including documentary proof, timeframes, and recent SARS practice.

Recent Case Law and SARS Rulings

Analysis of recent VAT judgments and binding rulings, with commentary on precedential value, SARS interpretation, and what practitioners should watch for in structuring and advisory.

PART 3

SARS Audit Trends and Focus Areas

An overview of current audit trends, high-risk transactions, and sectors under scrutiny. Insights into selection of cases for verification by SARS and common triggers for audits.

Responding to VAT Verification Letters and Requests for Supporting Documents

Best practices in managing VAT verifications/audits, how to frame responses legally and factually, and strategies to pre-empt assessments.

Lessons from Real Disputes

Case studies drawn from recent VAT disputes handled by practitioners—what went wrong, how it was resolved, and lessons for prevention and defence.

Who should attend:

  • Tax practitioners and consultants who advise clients on VAT matters
  • Legal professionals specialising in tax or commercial transactions
  • Accountants and auditors involved in VAT compliance or reviews
  • In-house finance and tax managers handling cross-border transactions
  • Anyone assisting clients with VAT refunds, audits, or disputes with SARS
REGISTER NOW

MEET THE PRESENTERS:

Darren Britz

PARTNER & HEAD OF TAX
LEGAL AT TAX CONSULTING SA

MICAELA PASCHINI

TEAM LEAD OF TAX
LEGAL AT TAX CONSULTING SA

André Daniels

HEAD OF TAX CONTROVERSY & DISPUTE RESOLUTION AT TAX CONSULTING SA

Darren Britz is the Partner and Head of Tax Legal at Tax Consulting SA. With a BA Law and LLB degree from the University of the Witwatersrand, he is an admitted attorney of the High Court of South Africa, specializing in employee mobility and tax administration. Darren is a leading expert in his field with extensive experience advising companies on their payroll tax and international tax consequences, estate planning and trusts, money remittance strategies for international clients, advising high-net-worth individuals on tax-saving strategies, and corporate structures.

Micaela Paschini, is an Admitted Attorney of the High Court of South Africa and Team Lead: Tax Legal at Tax Consulting SA. With her expertise in tax law, she provides strategic legal insights on complex tax matters, including corporate tax, employment tax, VAT, and cross-border transactions. Her experience extends to tax structuring, SARS engagement, and compliance advisory for both local and international clients.

André Daniels is the Head of Tax Controversy and Dispute Resolution. He holds an LLB degree from the University of Johannesburg and brings over five years of practical experience in South African law. As an admitted attorney of the High Court of South Africa, André has extensive expertise in litigation and consulting. He specializes in navigating the complexities of tax dispute resolution, with a strong focus on legal strategy. His responsibilities include managing tax disputes, overseeing voluntary disclosures, and leading his team in all matters related to SARS engagements.

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Professor Deborah Tickle

FROM THE DAVIS TAX COMMITEE
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Keitumetse Sesana

TAX TECHNICAL SPECIALIST AT SAIT

Keitumetse Sesana is a registered SARS practitioner who also holds the designation of Master Tax Practitioner from the South African Institute of Taxation. With a solid background in international corporate tax matters from her previous roles at KPMG South Africa, she contributes important insights to the development of tax policy across various areas.  

As a Tax Technical Specialist, Keitumetse currently specialises in tax legislative policy engagement across the various areas of taxation and also manages stakeholder relations and facilitates engagement with key government departments. She leads and is responsible for the strategic oversight and positioning of the SAIT Tax Technical workgroups, as well as other strategic engagements related to legislation. Her collaborative efforts and strategic engagement with the various industry tax specialists that are members of the SAIT Tax Technical workgroups is vital for drafting and submitting proposals to entities such as the Parliament of South Africa, National Treasury, SARS, the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition and the Office of the Tax Ombud with the aim of influencing and shaping the tax legislative framework. 

In addition to her legislative work, Keitumetse curates and manages content for tax practitioners as part of their Continuous Professional Development requirements. This includes hosting webinars and drafting content for various SAIT publications, helping professionals stay informed in the evolving tax landscape. 

Keitumetse holds a Master of Laws (LLM) specialising in Tax Law, a Bachelor of Laws (LLB), and a Bachelor of Commerce (BCom) Law degree. Keitumetse is passionate about contributing to and transforming the tax legislative landscape. 

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Delano Abdoll

Admitted Attorney, BA (Law), LLB, LLM at Tax Consulting SA

Delano is a highly skilled attorney admitted to the High Court of South Africa, with extensive knowledge and expertise in tax law. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Law, a Bachelor of Laws, and a Master of Laws degree in Procedural Law, all obtained from the University of Pretoria. Delano has a strong focus on expatriate tax and individual cross-border taxation, making him an expert in dealing with complex tax issues faced by individuals who work or reside across international borders. With his comprehensive understanding of tax laws and regulations, he is able to provide exceptional advice and support to clients in need of expert tax planning and management.

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Tertius du Plessis

Professional Accountant and Crypto Taxpert

Tertius is a seasoned expert in the fields of finance and taxation, with a specialised focus on the realm of cryptocurrencies. His portfolio includes accounting services for a diverse range of clients, including individuals, private companies (Pty) Ltd’s, trusts, and deceased estates. He boasts a Bachelor of Accounting (BAcc) degree and has spent eight enriching years in the blockchain/cryptocurrency sector. In his role as a CryptoTaxpert, Tertius skillfully navigates clients through the intricacies of transitioning between fiat currency and cryptocurrency. His extensive knowledge of cryptocurrency, blockchain technology, trading, and HODLing, positions him as a reliable interpreter and manager of crypto data. Tertius’ profound understanding of South African cryptocurrency tax regulations equips him to deliver SARS-compliant, optimised crypto tax reports. He is dedicated to helping clients manage their crypto assets and ensuring a seamless flow of funds. He lives by the philosophy, “My compensation is not for the hours I put in, but for the value I deliver in those hours.” He believes that “What you pay is the price, what you gain is the value.” As a #CryptoTaxpert, his mission is to deliver unparalleled value to his clients.

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Piet Nel

CA (SA) Specialising in taxation

Piet Nel is a CA (SA) who specializes in taxation. He was previously the Project Director of professional development (tax) at SAICA, and the project director for tax at SAICA.  Before joining SAICA again, he was involved in tax consulting and tax dispute resolution. 

He is an accounting member of the Tax Court, second term. He is a visiting adjunct professor at Wits and was previously a lecturer in tax at the University of Pretoria to students doing a Master’s degree and at UNISA at postgraduate level.

He was a member of SAICA’s national tax committee and is still quite active in the development of tax legislation in South Africa by commenting on proposed legislation. Over a period of more than three decades, he presented numerous tax seminars and workshops to tax practitioners.

He regularly speaks on radio and TV and publishes tax related articles.He is involved, as a member of the SAICA’s Examination Committee, in setting the examination to test initial competence for prospective CA (SAs).

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Sophia Steyn

Admitted Attorney and legal advisor

Sophia Steyn is an experienced attorney with a strong background in will drafting, trust administration, and estate administration. With ten years of legal practice experience, including owning and managing her own practice, Sophia brings valuable management skills and a client-focused approach to her work. Currently employed at Rauch Gertenbach Inc., she specialises in drafting wills, establishing trusts, administering estates. Sophia’s expertise, professionalism, and commitment to exceptional client service make her a trusted legal practitioner in her field.

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Jerry Botha

Managing Partner
at Tax Consulting SA

Jerry Botha commenced his tax career in United Kingdom / United States Tax and served articles at McCorkindale & Holton’s London office. After being with the Big-4 accounting firms, in 2005 he started his own niche tax practice.

Tax Consulting South Africa has grown over the years to the largest independent tax practice in South Africa, which specialises in the most complex areas of tax planning and compliance. The firm is SARS recognised as a top 6 tax practice and a leading advisor to large multinational corporates, globally mobile individuals, high net worth professionals and families; but also fellow professionals on complex areas of South African and international tax.

Tax Consulting South Africa authored LexisNexis’ “Expatriate Tax” textbook, as critically acclaimed by the esteemed Judge Dennis Davis. The textbook is now in its 2nd edition.

Jerry enjoys a collaborative approach with fellow professionals, continuous professional development, commenting on legal development and growing the next generation of professionals.

 

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Catherine Fourie

HEAD OF CPD CONSORTIUM

Catherine is a Chartered Accountant (CA(SA)) and tax practitioner who completed her articles at Deloitte in 2003. After three secondments to the United States of America and Canada, she rejoined Deloitte as audit manager for four years, whereafter she has been a lecturer on the BCom Accounting programme with the Nelson Mandela University for 15 years until early 2024. Her main subjects were Taxation, Auditing and Ethics and Corporate Governance, as well as lecturing on the MCom (Taxation) program. She has a deep passion for teaching to which she has dedicated most of her professional career, especially fundamental principles. She implemented innovative learning and teaching practices, both online and hybrid/flexible; always ensuring impactful learning. As a member of the SAICA Digital Acumen Working Group she has always been passionate about innovation and resilience, which are both essential for the sustainability and growth of the modern professional. With the many students which have been through her lectures, she is excited to now bring digital innovation to the upskilling of professionals who work in the ever-changing landscape of tax and accounting. Her approach and style is one of ensuring a sound technical base, from where she quickly makes tax and accounting highly practical and relevant; delivering immediate value for anyone attending her training sessions.

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Sidney Fletcher

Senior Manager of Trust and Deceased Estate Compliance at Tax Consulting SA

Sidney is a versatile and results-driven qualified Senior Tax Practitioner. He has more than 20 years of experience working for SARS and was responsible for Taxpayer Education for a big part of that period. He is a dedicated professional with extensive knowledge and his affinity for Individual Taxes makes him an excellent tax planner and skilled at tax optimisation. Committed to the best care for clients through transparent communication. Skilled in negotiation with a strong ability to problem solve to assist clients with tax problems.

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Roxshanna du Toit

Independent Trust and Fiduciary Services Expert & CPD Project Coordinator

Roxshanna is a seasoned tax professional and was until February 2024 the Head of Tax, Standard Trust Limited. As one of the market’s largest leading fiduciary services providers, she worked daily on complex matters pertaining to tax and accounting for trusts, deceased estates and the commercial and family interests which necessarily comes therewith. She has a BCom (Taxation Honours) and also served as a lead representative for the Banking Association of South Africa (BASA) in providing input to SARS directly as impacts the fiduciary arena. Her interest sphere is streamlined solutions to overcome the administrative and operational challenges of trustees, accountants, tax practitioners and executors. She considers herself as a practical generalist who excels in getting the job done, and she has been involved in untangling, resolving and ensuring compliance of some of the largest and most complex South African and international trusts, estates and family structures. Her decision to start her own practice allows her to expand her professional horizon as well as spend more quality time with her son.